The Philippines observes March as Fire Prevention Month. Sad to say, fires happen throughout the year.
Last August 5, for instance, a total of 19 homes was razed by a fire that happened in Agdao District. The fire was caused by children who reportedly played with a lighter in the vicinity.
Five days later, a nurse perished when he was trapped in his room during a fire. He was reported to be sleeping his room, which was situated at the third floor. Cause of the fire: a dysfunctional electric that was plugged to an electrical outlet.
But there is a good news. Compared to the same period last year, fire incidents in Davao City “drastically dropped,” according to a recent news written by EDGE Davao roving reporter Angie Saveron.
This was the result of an intensified awareness campaign made by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
“This implies that we already have established an effective method of educating the public about fire safety through media such as this,” Fire Inspector Christian Cena, the BFP spokesman said in a press conference.
Saveron reported: “In 2016, the number of fire accidents totaled 432. In the same period this year, the BFP recorded a total of 224 incidents from January to September 2017 with a total of damage amounting to P634,176,395. The majority of these cases involved residential areas followed by business establishments and storage buildings.”
According to Cena, one of the reasons why fire incidents have dwindled was due to “the fire safety education piloted by the BFP in its national headquarters in Manila.” Another was the Barangay Ugnayan program, “which intensified the awareness of the people in the barangay about the prevention of fire.”
There is also the training of the responders, and volunteer groups auxiliary for the certificate of competency. “This is a whole year-round activity to reduce the fire incidents,” he said.
The same thing is happening also in most provinces. In Bansalan, Davao del Sur, information campaign on fire prevention and fire drills are also conducted by BFP. One of the organizations that have undergone training recently was the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center (MBRLC) in barangay Kinuskusan.
“We are aiming for zero fire incidence,” said F01 Rodrigo Bedar in his lecture. Currently, the bureau is doing 30% suppression and 70% prevention.
Fire, science tell us, is the visible effect of the process of combustion – a special type of chemical reaction. It occurs between oxygen in the air and some sort of fuel. The products from the chemical reaction are completely different from the starting material.
The fuel must be heated to its ignition temperature for combustion to occur. However, three things must be present in order for a fire to exist: heat, fuel and oxygen. This is known as the fire triangle, according to SF03 Sheffar S. Lajarani, who is the officer-in-charge of Bansalan BFP.
“Combustion is when fuel reacts with oxygen to release heat energy,” explained the website of Science Learning Hub. “Combustion can be slow or fast depending on the amount of oxygen available. Combustion that results in a flame is very fast and is called burning. Combustion can only occur between gases.”
Fuels come in three forms: solids, liquids and gases, Lajarani pointed out. Examples of solid are wood, dried leaves, clothing materials and books. Gasoline and kerosene are examples of liquids while gases refers to liquified petroleum gas and methane.
Lajarani also explained the importance of fire extinguishers in fire prevention. “You need to know how to operate it in case there is fire in your area,” he said.
In his blog, Joel Samonte came up with a list ten common causes of fires at home. On top of the list is cooking equipment. “Most kitchen fires occur because people get distracted and leave their cooking unattended. It can take just seconds for a pot or pan to cause fire when it overheats or splatters grease,” he wrote.
Forget faulty wiring, it’s not actually the root cause but electrical equipmeht. “What actually happens is the wires or circuit becomes overloaded due to an increase in the load the circuit carries without changing the size of the wires. The wires then tend to overheat in the circuit caused by the additional load,” Samonte wrote.
But as houses age, the electrical wiring can become “worn out,” leading to dangerous predicaments within the walls that homeowners cannot see. So faulty wiring can also be a hazard. “A clear warning sign is when a fuse blows or the circuit breaker trips frequently,” Samonte wrote.
Other causes he mentioned include the following: careless smoking, open flames (unattended burning candles or kerosene lamps), children playing with fire (matches and lighters), flammable liquids (solvents, cleaning agents, paints, etc.), lighting, overnight charging, and pets.
“Always remember that if a fire should occur, you and your family’s safety will all depend on calm, rational actions. The first priority should be is to get you and all your family members out of the house as quickly as possible. When it comes to house fires, timing is everything,” Samonte wrote.
Meanwhile, after the lecture, the BFP of Bansalan also conducted fire and earthquake drills for the staff of MBRLC.
“I learned so many new things from this training,” said Cherrie Ogatis, the finance officer. Her opinion was echoed by most of the staff.
Also present during the fire and earthquake drill were FO3 Rebecca Ordaneza, FO2 Chester Jed B. Sarte, and FO1 Roemelie Jay M. Barren.
